Not long after she gave birth to a baby boy, a COVID-19 positive Dr Arfa Sajadin was shifted to critical care at a hospital in Howrah, West Bengal. She only managed to catch glimpses of her newborn after delivering him. From the intensive care unit, Sajadin was moved to life support in a matter of days, where she battled the virus.
She won. After ten days of struggling to breathe on the ventilator, Sajadin was wheeled out to meet her baby. A #HeartWrenching: Dr. Arfa Sajadin, who had tested positive for Covid-19, battled for 10 days on the ventilator after her delivery. She broke down after taking her baby for the first time in her arms. Both mother & the baby are fine & ready to go home thanks to ILS hospital Howrah pic.twitter.com/2Oh9ksetl8
See the heartwarming video below:
#HeartWrenching: Dr. Arfa Sajadin, who had tested positive for Covid-19, battled for 10 days on the ventilator after her delivery. She broke down after taking her baby for the first time in her arms. Both mother & the baby are fine & ready to go home thanks to ILS hospital Howrah pic.twitter.com/2Oh9ksetl8
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) June 8, 2021
Sajadin tested positive for COVID-19 after 37 weeks of pregnancy, as per Times of India. Medical examinations revealed poor glycemic control and fetal distress. Following his birth at Howrah's ILS Hospital, the baby was immediately moved to newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and Sajadin, to ICU.
The baby tested COVID-19 negative, but doctors reportedly were losing hope as far as Sajadin was concerned. She, however, beat the virus in a matter of two weeks.
Dr Arfa Sajadin: The Face And Story Of A Thousand Women Across India
"God bless the child and the mother. Dr Arfa you are a true fighter. Wish you a very healthy and happy life," one Twitter user wrote under the video. "Tearing up while watching this video , God bless you both with good health and tons of precious memories," another said.
But amid the blessings being showered on Sajadin and her son lies the concerns and apprehensions of an entire population of pregnant persons who have been left in the lurch of vaccinations and safety from the virus.
In the absence of clear guidelines on the administration of vaccines to pregnant women, India's to-be mothers are a vulnerable group living in fear with no clear answers.
"My wife too was tested positive after delivery and kept in isolation for many days. I can relate the pain. Its not easy," one user wrote under Sajadin's video.
On Tuesday, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria said that with more data on Covishield and Covaxin - vaccines currently being administered in India - experts would better be able to decide on vaccinations for pregnant women.
"A decision recommending vaccination to pregnant women could not be taken by doctors and the scientific community based on available data from vaccine trials," Dr VK Paul, head of India's COVID-19 vaccine program, added. "However, the government will clarify this situation in a few days, based on new scientific inputs."